Always With Me
by Alice Aizawa
Summary: In her dreams Chihiro is confronted by a dying river. She knows that something is wrong. Chihiro wishes to know more about her dream & what she has forgotten. When she finds herself in the spirit world she knows her answers are coming.
1. Forgotten Past

Always With Me

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Spirited away (as much as I wish to), all characters are copywrited to Miazakii.

Chapter One: Forgotten Past

_The girl watched as the water sparkled brightly, catching her bright eyes with its natural beauty. From where she stood on the bank, she could see the entire river flowing across the green fields of grass. A smile brushed across her lips. Tossing her hair playfully, the wind seemed to pull her closer to the river. She didn't think but kept walking...closer...closer...Kneeling down, she bent to put her hand in the water only the second her small fingers touched the sparkling blue it was no more. Sand stood there in its wake, been blown about by the running tides of the very wind that had been her friend not too long ago._

_Saddened and shocked by the sudden loss of the water, she stepped back. Her mouth hung open but she couldn't seem to surface words as she gazed at the remains of the beautiful river. On each side of the river now were shinning condos, each mirroring one another in their perfection and staring at her in mock laughter. The girl felt a tear slid down her cheek and she turned to face the east, finding that the sun was setting. A dark streak of red and orange ran across the horizon, tauntingly. _

_The girl sank down to her knees._

"No!" Chihiro sprang up from her cocoon-like bedding.

A soft breeze blew out across an open window, cooling her hot body. Chihiro placed her head on her hands and closed her eyes, instantly relaxed again. What a nightmare! She sighed and flopped back down onto her pillow, closing her eyes again. There would be no need for dreaming now. Pale light of the oncoming dawn peeked through the cracks of the blinds. Chihiro took a moment to think about what the nightmare could mean. She had been getting this one often, a little too often. Her mother had told her she had been speaking in her sleep. But whenever Chihiro asked her what she had been saying, her mother could only shrug.

Groaning, she opened her eyes and slid out of bed. The alarm clock read 8 Am, July 7, which meant that Chihiro had once again been cheated out of two hours of sleep. She walked over to her dresser with a sour expression and began to flip through for something reasonable to wear. Her eyes stopped on the mirror that lay above her bereau. Curious, she gazed at the girl who she saw looking back at her in the mirror.

A much older girl stared back, older than the one in her dreams anyways. She had chocolate brown hair that fell to a little below her shoulders with dark eyes, almost an obsidian color in their darkness. Where once had been a childish face of a little girl there were signs of growing up. Her lips had thinned out, gained more of a girlish look to them and her face seemed to have changed drastically. Her shape had become more feminine, hips beginning to widen and her chest taking on a little volume. Dark eyes flickered to the picture resting on her desk of the little ten year old she had once been. She made a sour face at the picture and flipped it around so that all she could see was white.

It had been four years since that picture had been taken anyways.

"Chihiro! Naomi is here!" Her mother's voice rang out down the hall.

"So early? NAAAAH!" she said, panicked, and began to scurry around her room.

Chihiro couldn't believe that she had come so early! She gazed down at her own dishevelled appearance and all but died. Dressed in bunny-rabit patterned pajama shorts and shirt, she looked like a bum. Yanking clothes out of her draws she chucked a pair of plain pants that she didn't feel like wearing behind her and continued to ravage for some acceptable form of clothing. Chihiro slid on a plain blue shirt, the color of the sky outside today. Her eyes found a pair of pants that might be acceptable and eyed the tag on the inside. Nope not it. Unthinkingly she tossed the pants over her shoulder, aimed at the other side of the room.

"Ooof!," A feminine voice called and Chihiro whirled around to gaze at her friend, a pair of pants decorating her neck.

"Gomen!" she cried, taking the pants off of her friend's head.

A girl with long black hair and quizzical brown eyes gazed back at her, eyebrow raised in amusement. She could only laugh as she watched her best friend Chihiro scramble around for some acceptable clothing. Her eyes paused on the shorts that Chihiro was still wearing, the matching pair to her own shorts. Naomi remembered well the day that they had bought them together. She laughed lightly.

"Relax Chihiro! I don't mind being used as a pants wrack every once and a while!" she joked.

Chihiro's expression turned to mock annoyance but she still laughed. Sliding on a pair of pants that was acceptable, Chihiro set to work on her hair. How could she forget about today? Hadn't she told herself that she would set the alarm so she'd be ready on time? Chihiro visibly sulked at the idea that she had almost upset their plans. At least the nightmare had benifited her by waking her up on time today. She couldn't help but think that today would be a good day.

"Yes because blue is totally your color!" Chihiro shot back friendly.

"Mmm, I always thought blue was _your_ color..." Naomi begin and drapped the pants over Chihiro's shoulders.

The fourteen year old brushed the pants off and reached for a hair elastic. Her fingers paused over a shinning hair elastic that rested on top of her jewelry box. She didn't know where it had come from, or even what it was made out of, but Chihiro had clung to the hair elastic as though it had been a life line. Each day she wore it. It was her sort of lucky charm, it kept her safe. She tied up her hair in one swift motion and whirled around.

"Done!"

"Eh? Then why are you still wearing bunny socks?" Naomi asked quizzically.

Chihiro looked down at her feet and winced. Faster than before, she placed normal socks on her feet and slid them into her favorite shoes. Naomi watched, amused, as her best friend scrambled to make herself acceptable. Today wasn't just any day, it was an important day. For once in her life Chihiro tried to look decent. The attempt was working aparantly.

"There, does that pass inspection sergant?" Chihiro wrinkled her nose at her friend.

"Yep!" Naomi laughed, "Let's head out!

- - -

Tanabata festival was held every year on July 7th in Japan. It had been a custom dating back as far as anyone could remember to write a wish and tie it to a stick of bamboo. Then you would let it float out to the water and it would be granted! Of course it was also a big attraction for shopping. People would leave paper ornaments outside their house in an attempt to bring good fortune, businesss, good health and other wishings, to their houses.

It was a custom for Chihiro and her friend Naomi to visit the river and send their wishes off...after a long day of shopping.

"So you are saying that you don't remember anything about how you got here?" Naomi asked.

"I didn't say that! I just said that I remember taking a back road here and getting lost. Then my dad hit a reasonable phase and turned the car around. But I don't remember where that road is! I guess my memory isn't as good as I thought it was, huh?"

Naomi seemed to think upon this for a moment or so, as though she never really thought about it. Shrugging, she continued to gaze down at the paper that rest in front of her. Her pen was poised dangerously close to the paper as though her wish might come pouring out at any moment and she had to be quick to catch it. Chihiro gazed out at the river.

"You remember the day you moved in right? Remember you guys booked the movers to come nearly a week early!" Naomi giggled.

"Oh! How could I forget! My mom's expression was priceless when she saw all our furniture had been out on the lawn. Good thing it didn't rain and that we had you guys living next door to us. I can just imagine the neighbors thinking it some sort of corrupted fleemarket!" Chihiro joined Naomi in her laughter.

She would never forget the first day that they had moved in. It had almost been as though time itself had sped up. Her attitude towards going to a new school had done a complete one eighty turn and she had no idea why. Maybe it had been the sight of the boxes and couch piled right besides the door? Or perhaps the shocked expression her mother carried as she had all but flipped out. Thankfully Naomi and her family had been kind enough to guard the furniture. That had been the first day that the two had met. Her thoughts turned to the paper in front of her.

Chihiro paused, her pen poised above her paper and a quizzical look on her face. She had no idea what to wish for. What else did she need to wish for? Her mind continued like clockwork as she sat besides Naomi. It was dark now and nearing midnight. If she didn't get her wish down soon than she'd have to send it on one of the river's back home. Besides her Naomi stirred.

"Done!" she smiled and folded the paper, tying it to the bamboo.

"Already? What did you wish for?" Chihiro asked, resisting the urge to doodle on her paper.

"I can't tell you that..." Naomi laughed.

"Thought it was worth a try anyways," Chihiro teased and continued to scour down her mind.

"Oh! It's midnight on the dot, i'm going to go send my boat out now Chihiro-chan, i'll leave you to think of a wish." Naomi smiled and decended to the banks of the great river.

Chihiro was left with nothing but her thoughts. Mind spinning, she could think of so many things that she would want to wish for. But why would she? Of course she could name an item, or perhaps ask for a boyfriend. Chihiro was pretty sure that was what Naomi had asked for. Such a wish seemed short sighted to Chihiro. For a moment she thought about not sending one out at all. Then her memory of the dream found its way back into her mind and instantly she knew what she wanted.

_I wish to know about my dream._

Satisfied, she folded the tanzaku paper around the stick of bamboo and grabbed the small paper boat. Quickly she approached the edge of the water and placed the boat down. For a moment it did not move. A strong wind was called and instantly the little boat began to float away. Chihiro felt as though she were being pulled closer to the river's edge. Brushing away the shiver that ran down her spine, she turned her eye towards the water once more. Sparkling moonlight glittered along the edges of the crystal water.

_Chihiro..._the wind whispered to her.

Shocked, Chihiro turned away from the water in a jog.

**Cira's Note:  
**Hello! So begans my first chapter of my short Spirited Away fiction. I'm aiming for less than five chapters but it might span out more.  
I know that this chapter isn't exactly action packed but you can bet that the next one will be. Bum Ba dum!  
Thank you for reading this, I apreciate it a lot really!


	2. Into the Spirit world

Always With Me

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Spirited away (as much as I wish to), all characters are copywrited to Miazakii.

Chapter Two: Into the Spirit world

Sleep eluded Chihiro, tugging at the corner of her eyes only to lure her into a false slumber that she would wake up from a couple of minutes after. Eventually she tired of trying to sleep and crept away from Naomi's sleeping figure. Outside it was still dark; the skies spotless save for the moon and the stars. Chihiro padded across the kitchen floor, barefoot and clad in her clothes from the day. They had been so tired once they had gotten home sleep had been the only thing on their minds. Besides they could just change up in the morning, right?

Chocolate strands of her hair floated in the wind as she moved across the kitchen. The window was open, the one above the sink, and the curtain fluttered like a butterfly in the breeze of the gentle wind. Her mind spun circles thinking about the voice that it had once had. Could the wind really speak? Or had she imagined its wailing call of her voice...? Shiver running down her spine, Chihiro flopped down on the stool of the kitchen counter. White in color, the counter was cold with a surprising lack of anything on it.

"So...tired..." she sighed and rested her head on the counter.

Chihiro felt her eyelids drooping and soon she was sleeping again, chasing dreams. Her dreams were scattered, they made no dream but thousands of fragments that she seemed to be familiar with. A little girl, an older woman with a lust for money, a masked figure...the dragon boy. Chihiro chased her memories through her dreams, as though someone were reaching out across her mind trying to get her to remember these lost thoughts.

A noise awoke her.

Her eyelids snapped open and she found herself gazing at the outside. A figure dashed into the woods. Chihiro's heart leapt from her chest and into her mouth. What was that? Or more importantly...who? She didn't know what she was doing; just let her feet guide her. Chihiro approached the glass slider that led to the outside. For some reason her feet made no noise as she did so, as though she were gliding like a spirit.

She didn't spare a look at Naomi who continued to slumber besides her feet. Sliding her shoes on, Chihiro rested her fingers on the handle to the slider door. Leaning forwards, she pressed her hand against the glass in an attempt to see the outdoors. Her neighborhood stretched across the far edges of her vision. The road was stretched out before her as though it were a path to another world.

Chihiro slid open the slider door and felt the wind brush over her.

Placing her weight on the edge of the street, she moved to close the door behind her. What was she doing? Her hesitation was gone as though another force had grabbed a hold of her body and was moving her as a puppeteer would manipulate a puppet. She walked down the street, barely aware of what she was doing. The need to find that person, the figure, it was overwhelming to her. Unaware that she had now started running, Chihiro turned to face the call that pulled at her very soul.

The need to follow the figure led her to a place she had known very well; the riverside.

Her heart beat fast against her chest as she gazed into the sparkling dark waters of night, the full moon leaving plenty of light to see. Chihiro looked up, eyes sparkling against the moonlight. A figure stood in front of her, he had deep blue eyes and chestnut brown hair that clung to his face almost angelically. Chihiro found herself lost in those eyes for a moment. She remembered him well.

"Haku?" the name passed her lips.

She could feel the tears coming to her eyes; her memory of the boy that stood in front of her was blocked from her mind, locked by a key that the girl could not find. How could she have forgotten Haku? While everything else around him was a blur to her mind, she could remember only one thing. Chihiro would do anything for Haku.

Unthinking, she reached out for the figure, to touch him. Only she found that her hand passed right through him and Chihiro's weight poised forwards as she fell. With a splash, the water enveloped her, tugged her down as though swimming were inevitable. Chihiro attempted to swim but the weight of the chilly blue just brought her to exhaustion. She closed her eyes and the world faded from her sights.

- - -

Something hard hit her head. It wasn't a tap; it was a careless smack from something that wasn't so soft. She let out a small groan and reached over to where the item was. Her hand closed around something with a slimy feel and Chihiro jolted to awareness. Instantly she flung the item away from herself, a large muck-covered book that seemed to have been owned by a hungry individual (the corner had been bitten off!).

"YUCK!" she yelled and wiped her slimy hand on her shorts, though instantly regretting it.

Chihiro made a face and was caught off guard by the sound of footsteps on the sandy riverside spot she had awoken up on. Her hair wasn't wet and her clothes neither, as though she had never been in the river. But hadn't she fallen in?! The girl looked around, a little worried by this. Was she dead? Dreaming? Another nightmare? Questioningly, Chihiro pinched the skin of her arm.

"Ouch! Guess not..." she flopped over.

Her eyes scanned around. This didn't look like it was off of the river that she had fallen into at all...the bed was made of a plain dirt-like sand containing many rocks, but other than that there was soft short grass stretching around in patches on the other side of the bank. Behind her were thick grasses, taller than herself! The river itself was huge, much bigger than the river had been at home. Where as it had stretched about the size of a road, it now stretched three times the span. She found herself dizzy just looking at it.

"Oi!" A voice called, "Hand me that book over there!"

The grass besides her rustled and Chihiro jumped slightly as a man broke the green. He had several weird items that a junk collector would probably find valuable. Adorned in a thick cloak and carrying several strange pieces of who knew what, the river traveler beamed. Chihiro's jaw nearly unhinged as she noticed his face. It wasn't normal...just wasn't. Where there should've been normal human ears protruded thick, long, white-colored cat ears, protruding from his perfect black hair.

Caught off guard, Chihiro eyed the slimy brown book and turned back to the man. He didn't look that much older than her. Carrying himself proudly and tall, he looked to be nearing seventeen. Chihiro could feel her mind spinning. Ears! He had ears! This had to be a dream! There was no way that it couldn't be so! She gazed from his jet black hair to his bright golden eyes. The teenager grinned and picked up the book, dusting it off a little with a cloth from his pack.

"Hah! This will do perfectly!" He laughed and moved to tuck the book into his sack when he noticed Chihiro staring at him, "what, do I have something on my face?" He moved over to the water and stared at his reflection critically.

"N-no!" Chihiro squeaked, "It's just, eh, you have _ears_!"

For a moment he stood, stupefied by what she was pointing out. Then he reached up and poked one of the fuzzy ears. The kid laughed, shaking his head as he continued to wipe the book off. He turned his gaze to Chihiro, taking in her tired expression with his vibrant gold eyes. With her delicate cheekbones, surprising lack of ears, and sweet lily-smell, he could tell that she wasn't of this world. She didn't look like she was from around here...

"Never seen a woods spirit before? Don't get out often _do _you?" He laughed.

Chihiro sat there on the sand, feeling lost. Woods spirit? What was he talking about? And when would she wake up? The girl stood up, brushing the dirt that stained her clothes and clung to her figure. So much for keeping this shirt clean...she sighed as she gazed at her totaled wardrobe. Thank you lack of fashion. Her attentions focused on the strange being in front of her.

"Are those Hakama pants?" She asked, transfixed as she tried to understand.

"Yeah. What else would they be? And...I believe I have the right to ask you this...what _are _you wearing?" He raised his eyebrow, one of his perfect white ears twitched back as though it were also confused by the strange girl. The half kitsune continued to study her with his beautiful gold eyes.

"Um. Clothes? Modern day clothes?" Chihiro attempted to reach an understanding.

"Oh!" he said, expression lighting up, "you are a human! My apologies! I thought you were a river spirit...judging by the way you seemed to have washed up on the shore. I thought perhaps you were garnishing yourself in some new fashion...let me be kind and tell you it's not working. I thought that looked awfully familiar. Same clothes as the witch."

"Witch?" Chihiro could feel her mind sinking into a deeper state of confusion.

"Mkay, never mind. Yes. So...why are you here hume?" he poked, walking around her and studying her as though she were the latest specimen for an experiment.

Chihiro didn't appreciate the way that he gazed at her, studied her, but her thoughts were elsewhere. What was this strange new world? She gazed at the sand in confusion. It contrasted the thick green grasses that surrounded the edge of the riverside that they were on. He had said woods but...where was the woods? Her breathing halted as she noticed the other end of the river. Besides the thick green grasses crawled moss which instantly bloomed into a dense forest, thick with life.

"I fell into the river! And found myself here. I was following someone...very close to me. His name was...is...his name is..." Chihiro scoured her mind for the blazing memory of the boy that she had seen. What had been his name? Her world spun sickly," I don't remember his name!" She cried in disarray.

Chihiro flung her hands up in the air with a sour face and flopped down on the sandy edge that bordered the river. How could she forget!? She had been so close to discovering the memories that had been locked up inside of her...and now...now she didn't even have the name. _His _name. Her heart shriveled up at the idea of forgetting his name, as though she had lost something precious.

"I would ask who but that would be just silly," he sighed, "you know, humans aren't meant to be in the spirit world. They tend to do funny things while adapting. I'm surprised you haven't started to disappear already! You must've been here before otherwise you would be gone. But your memories...you are probably losing them because you are here. It's like that both ways."

The upset girl let these thoughts run over her like a soothing hand on the forehead of one who was sick. He had a point, a reasoning. But what was reason in so strange a place? Chihiro was certain that this was a different world from her own, or she wouldn't be gazing at the sight of a kid with cat ears protruding from his head. Her frustration was written all over her face as she gazed numbly at the ground before her.

"I've lost them all then? Every last one?" Her voice was numb.

"Of the spirit world, yes." The cat-kid looked pensive despite his young age.

"I have to find his name. I'm lost but his name is the most important thing to me," she gazed at him with heart-filled eyes.

"There is a witch...by the name of Zeniba. She can give you back your memory, for a price of course," he sat down besides her, crossing his legs.

For a moment they were silent as Chihiro scoured her brain for the spark that the name brought to her mind. Zeniba? Hadn't she heard that somewhere before? Maybe it had been the name of a rich perfume that Naomi had attempted to coax her into buying once but she couldn't fit an actual face with the soft sounding name. Somehow a feeling of warmth filled her with the idea.

Things were slowly looking better.

"Where can I find her?"

**Author's Note:  
**Things are looking up. I'm no longer sick and writing is coming to me faster now!  
Not sure if Chihiro's acting is believable but she's a really hard girl to understand. Especially since she's older. x.x  
Long story short, comments keep me rolling, i'm glad you guys are supporting me, and tune in for the next chapter!


End file.
